Dr. Woodside Replies

To the Editor: I read with interest the letter by Dr. Godart et al. concerning the rates of premature termination of inpatient treatment for anorexia nervosa. This issue, studied minimally in adults, has been neglected in adolescents. I expect that some of the differences in the findings of the study by Dr. Godart et al. and ours can be explained by the nature of the patient population. I would also be interested in knowing how Dr. Godart et al. established a failure in a patient’s therapeutic contract, given that the patients were all adolescents and receiving treatment at least partly at their parents’ behest.